1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to novel techniques and devices for setting and/or adjusting various functional system parameters of programmable code symbol reading systems in a simple and convenient manner.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Bar code symbol readers have gained popularity in recent years as they facilitate the quick and reliable identification of goods for commercial, scientific and educational purposes. Many bar code symbol reading systems provide various system functionalities which can be performed in a user-selectable manner. For example, a typical automatic hand-supportable bar code symbol reader, such as the Metrologic(trademark). MS951 laser bar code symbol reader, provides classes of system functions that are selectively available. These classes include: decode functions; supplemental functions, ITF symbol lengths, minimum symbol length, symbol length lock, communication mode selection, beeper operating characteristics, scanner definition and test modes, same symbol time-out, scanner functionality features, UPC formatting options, Non-UPC formatting options, and depth-of field selections.
Oftentimes, substantial effort must be expended to determine which set of system function parameters provides optimal performance in a given scanning environment, such as a particular point of sale (POS) station or inventory control environment. Great motivation exists for finding and utilizing functional parameters which are appropriate for a given scanning application. The reason is clear: store managers need to use bar code symbol scanners that are configured for optimal scanning performance in a given scanning environment. This ensures that within a given time period, cashiers are able to safely scan the maximum number of goods under a particular set of working conditions. Typically, the determination of such system function parameters is carried out in beta or test sites, often under the supervision of application engineers and productivity experts.
After a xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d or model bar code symbol reader is configured (i.e., programmed) to the satisfaction of productivity experts and application engineers, it is then desirable to duplicate (i.e., clone) the xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d bar code symbol reader a number of times. Oftentimes, the xe2x80x9cclonedxe2x80x9d bar code symbol readers are either situated at, or are to be used, at remote locations far away from the master bar code symbol reader. This is the case for a network of bar code symbol readers being used throughout a chain of retail department stores. By programming such bar code symbol readers in the same way, the store managers have a high degree of certainty that each configured bar code symbol reader will function substantially the same way, and thus ensure that a predictable level of scanner performance in a given working environment.
In many state-of-the-art bar code symbol readers, such as the Metrologic.TM. MS951 laser bar code symbol reader, the system functions are programmable by way of a microprocessor associated with the bar code symbol reader. This is achieved by assigning a unique function parameter to each system function available in the bar code symbol reading system. Each available system function is assigned to a different memory structure in a programmable memory device that the microprocessor can access directly. One or several bits of memory are required for each programmable parameter assigned to each available system function. The collection of system parameters assigned to any particular bar code symbol reader is referred to as the xe2x80x9csystem configuration parametersxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cscanner configuration parametersxe2x80x9d of the scanner or reader, as these specify the particular system function configuration into which the bar code symbol reader is programmed.
At present, several known techniques exist for programming the system function parameters of a programmable bar code symbol reader. A first programming technique, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,058, programs each available system function into a xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d bar code symbol reader by reading a function-encoded bar code symbol printed on either a bar code symbol programming menu, or a sheet in a bar code symbol programming booklet. An xe2x80x9center-programming-modexe2x80x9d bar code symbol is first read, to prepare the microprocessor for changing system functions in the bar code symbol reader. Thereafter, the function-encoded bar code symbol is read to effect the preprogramming of a corresponding system function parameter in non-volatile memory. This process is repeated for each function to be programmed into the bar code symbol reader. To complete the process, an xe2x80x9cexit-programming-modexe2x80x9d bar code symbol is read off the bar code symbol programming menu. When desiring to clone a master bar code symbol reader, the steps of the above technique must be repeated for each individual bar code symbol reader to be cloned. Consequently, this approach is time-consuming and laborious to execute.
A second function programming technique, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,375, connects the communication port of a bar code symbol reader to be reconfigured, to the communication port of a host or programming computer system. Function-encoded commands are then sent to the microprocessor of the connected bar code symbol reader. Each function-encoded command is used by the microprocessor in order to reconfigure the function parameters in a non-volatile memory of the bar code symbol reader. When cloning a configured bar code symbol reader, the above procedure is repeated for each bar code symbol reader to be cloned therefrom. In situations where bar code symbol readers of interest are located in physically remote locations, this technique is difficult to practice without the use of expensive communications equipment.
Pursuant to another technique, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,375, a number of bar code symbol scanners are each connected to a host computer system through a computer network. The system allows any configured (i.e., master) bar code symbol reader to transmit its system function parameters to any other bar code symbol scanner in the network in order to clone any other bar code symbol reader in the network. This approach is not only expensive and complicated to implement, but, moreover, it does not provide a simple way to reconfigure a bar code symbol reader which is disconnected from the computer network, or a system which does not provide a data communication channel between the reader and the network.
In summary, the use of computer-based systems to program bar code symbol readers is not new and certainly, a number of approaches, as described above, have been proposed and used in practice in order to configure bar code symbol readers and scanners to diverse user requirements. However, prior art approaches have been less than desirable due to the short-comings and drawbacks described above.
Thus, there is a great need for improved techniques which would configure various system function parameters of programmable bar code symbol reading devices, while overcoming the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems and methodologies.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method of configuring the functional parameters of programmable code symbol scanning systems, while avoiding the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems and methodologies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a system and method for use with any type of bar code symbol reading system, including laser-based systems, flash-illumination based systems and CCD-based systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel system and method of programming the function parameters of programmable code symbol scanners, while avoiding the need to provide coupling with a data communication port of the programmable code symbol reader to be configured.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel system and method of programming a bar code symbol reader, in which (i) the function-encoded parameters of a master bar code symbol reader are read using a computer-based function-parameter reading device having a memory contained therein for buffering real function parameters; (ii) the buffered function-encoded parameters are used to produce a list (i.e., ordered set) of function-encoded bar code symbols which are printed in a prespecified reading-sequence; and (iii) the list of printed function-encoded bar code symbols are read in the prespecified reading sequence in order so as to reconfigure (i.e., program) the bar code symbol reader with the same set of function-encoded parameters preprogrammed in the master bar code symbol reader.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a system and method of programming a bar code symbol reader, in which data representative of the list of function-encoded bar code symbols is first transmitted from the function-parameter reading device to a remotely situated computer-based system, at which the list of function-encoded bar code symbols is printed prior to reconfiguring a bar code symbol reader by reading the same.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel system and method of programming a code symbol reader, in which (i) the function-encoded parameters of a master bar code symbol reader are read using a computer-based function-parameter reading device and subsequently buffered therein; (ii) the buffered function-encoded parameters are used to produce a list of symbol reading instructions for reading specific function-encoded symbols on particular pages of a preprinted bar code symbol programming guide; and (iii) the list of symbol reading instructions are used to read specified function-encoded bar code symbols printed on specified pages of the preprinted bar code symbol programming guide so as to reconfigure (i.e., program) the bar code symbol reader with the same set of function-encoded parameters preprogrammed in the master bar code symbol reader.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a system and method of programming a bar code symbol reader, in which data representative of the list of symbol reading instructions is first transmitted from the buffer memory of the function parameter reading device to a remotely situated computer-based system, at which the list of symbol reading instructions is printed prior to reconfiguring a bar code symbol reader by reading the same.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent hereinafter and the claims.